SIMOTES RUSSELLII. 213 



SiMOTES VBNUSTUS. 



Xenodon venustum^ Jerdon, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xxii. p. 528. 



Scales in seventeen rows. Loreal none, confluent with posterior frontal, the lower angle of 

 which is in contact with the second labial ; one praeocular, two postocvilars ; seven upper labials, 

 the third and fourth entering the orbit ; the sixth is excluded from the labial margin, the 

 fifth and seventh being contiguous below ; temporals 1+2. Anterior chin-shields not twice 

 as long as broad, in contact Avith four labials ; posterior chin-shields half as large as anterior. 

 Ventral shields 142-145 ; anal bifid ; subcaudals 31-35. Ground-colour greyish or reddish 

 brown, with three series of rounded black, yellow-edged spots : each spot of the vertebral 

 series is 8-shaped, evidently composed of two smaller ones ; the spots of the lateral series 

 are more oblong and rather irregular, sometimes touching the median spots ; head with 

 the usual symmetrical markings. Belly white, with quadrangular black spots, both colours 

 being distributed in equal proportions. 



This species is rare on the west coast of the peninsula of India ; it attains to the length of 

 16 inches, the tail measuring 2^ inches. 



It would have been impossible to identify this species from the characters of Xenodon 

 venustum given by Mr. Jerdon but for a named drawing in the possession of Walter 

 Elliott, Esq. 



SiMOTES RUSSELLII. 



Russell, Ind. Serp. i. tab. 35 & 38. 



Coluber arneusis, Shaw, Gen. Zool. iii. p. 526. 



russellii, Daud. Rept. vi. p. 395. 



monticolus {Hodgson), Cantor, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1839, p. 51. 



Coronella russelii, Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii, p. 78. 

 Simotes russelii, Dmn. ^ Bibr. vii. p. 628. 



Scales in seventeen rows ; occipitals subtruncated behind ; loreal distinct, sometimes con- 

 fluent with posterior frontal ; one prseorbital, two postorbitals ; seven upper labials, the 

 third and fourth of which form the lower part of the orbit; temporals 1 + 2. Anterior 

 chin-shields twice as large as posterior. Ventral shields 160-190; anal bifid; subcaudals 

 47-56. Ventral shields with a slight keel. Brownish olive, with the bands on the head 

 very distinct ; body with well-defined black, white-edged cross bands ; belly uniform white. 



Var. a. Cross bands as broad as a scale long, about thu'ty on the trunk. Anamallay 

 Mountains, Madras, Nepal, Sikkim. 



Var. /3. Cross bands of the width of three scales, about twenty-three on the trunk. 

 Anamallay Mountains. 



Var. y. Cross bands broadest in the middle, nearly as broad as the interspaces between 

 them ; about twenty-five on the trunk. Dukhun. 



Var. S. Cross bands of the width of three scales, about seventeen on the trunk. Ceylon. 



